I never had to take the SAT, I took the ACT and did alright. If anyone has taken both, how do the two tests differ?

The SAT is a longer and the math and reading sections are split into smaller, multiple sections. also, the SAT marks down for wrong guesses whereas the ACT allows people to guess w/o getting marked down. but they're basically the same.

i personally HATED the SATs. it was too long and not fun (the SAT II wasn't bad). the ACT was wayyy better and fun to do (mostly everyone in my area took the ACTs rather than the SATs).

sat's my generation was the first to take the new type (2400 instead of 1600) that thing was a pain in the ass 1st time around. 2nd time it was really simple. I didnt prepare at all and got a way higher score.

ah english SATs are diff. XD it wasnt that hard since it wasnt one of the major exams. just assessment i think. plus if i remember correctly it was onli for math, english and science - which are the core subjs. anyways, yh i studied a bit hard for that. ^-^

Okay, is anyone else here dying because of last-minute hardcore cramming of the SAT's?
The convoluted Critical Reading.
The monsterous Math.
The whimsical and a waste-of-time Writing.

Share experiences, from those that took it already
Release anger, for those that's going to take it
and laugh, if you're never going to take it

anyway, it sucks, so I just had to get that out there. I'm too addicted to my dramas, so when the test date comes closer, I'll prbly be screwed.

Arent you Chinese or Japanese, etc? you people cram. We Americans just glide along and get Bs or Cs.

Words of Wisdom-Do not study so hard on the SAT so that your skin becomes yellow.

lmao, its alrdy yellow.
so what can you do? =]

but if your gonna do it, you might as welllll get a good score.

Studying does not help in the least bit, since it is all stuff that has been compiled and randomly tossed together from all your years in school. So, you could study one thing and it not even be on the test. The practice questions are pretty much there just to give you a rough idea of the test layout and some of the content that may appear. I didn't study at all and managed to land a 1640 my second try. Not exactly an amazing score but not bad either.

I studied for like 3 hours a few days before the test and I got a xxxx. Actually, I'm not so proud of my score even though I did better than some people expected. Most of the people who considered me a dumbass did worse than me. lol My score was pretty average, I think...

The SATs in the UK are bloody awful.
Not hard, but... pointless.
They put so much stress on younger kids. =/
I mean, my 11-year-old cousin was studying like CRAZY to do hers.
In the end, all they are are stupid tests that just make a school look better or worse.

Also, there's been a bit of a scandal with marking them this year.
Below are 2 examples of English sentences.

1. If hee wasent doin anyfing else heed be hellping his uncel hary.

2. As Alex nervously got onto the horse, her legs firmly in the strirrups, and her hands clutching the reins tightly. She tried not be scared of the horse, but she'd never been on one of these beasts before.

I am going to community college to avoid the SATs. I could transfer to the school of my choice this way without the SATs.

Uhm, not really. Any good college or at least somewhat decent college will request an SAT score. I did something like that but not with a community college. That's a bit too much. Well basically I barely passed high school but did well on the SATs. So I went to a decent city college and then transferred to NYU. The only thing that got me accepted was my SAT score and the fact that I did really well the first year in that city college.

SATs are a good indicator of logical reasoning capabilities. It's somewhat of an indicator of intelligence. That's why colleges use it.

As for the OP, I suggest not worrying too much. There's a limit to how much you can improve your SAT skills. From the first time you try a practice test, the most you can improve is about 300 points. And that's being generous.
Oh... 300 points from when i took the test (1600 capped score). Probably 450-500 for your test format (2400 capped score).
The best thing to do when time gets short is just to recognize all the tricks that they try to play on you. The SAT is a mix of simple calculations, test taking strategy and a tricky answer choice.